Arizona's legal landscape found itself grappling with the specter of discrimination as Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit alleging that certain behavioral health facility operators engaged in disability discrimination. Mayes has targeted Olive Branch Assisted Living, LLC, Terra Medical LLC, Terra Medical of Arizona LLC, and their owner, Russell Appleton, under the Arizona Fair Housing Act, which staunchly prohibits discrimination based on disability. According to a press release from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the complaint suggests that after an HIV diagnosis, a resident in Casa Grande was removed from the facility, and her condition was disclosed to other residents, thereby identifying her by implication.
The case spearheaded by Mayes further accuses the defendants of coercive retaliation, threatening to, and indeed filing a lawsuit against the resident upon her complaint before later dismissing it. "Discrimination against people with HIV is an ugly relic of the past, and my office is committed to preventing and prosecuting every form of disability discrimination," Mayes said, signaling to assertively to uphold fair housing rights in her state.
This lawsuit follows on the heels of a recent public awareness campaign rolled out by Attorney General Mayes, focusing on housing discrimination and the legal rights of renters. Assistant Attorneys General Ryan Bishop and Tarah White handle the litigation, with Compliance Officer Elizabeth Amarillas leading the investigation—a team vehemently challenging what appears to be prejudiced practices within the realm of behavioral health and habitation.
The ordeal signals a resolute stance by Mayes against housing discrimination, reinforcing that disability discrimination has no "place in Arizona, whether it’s at the workplace, in a person’s housing, or receiving medical care," according to the Arizona Attorney General’s office. The Attorney General passionately urges anyone who believes they have witnessed or been subject to housing discrimination to not hesitate to file their grievances with the Civil Rights Division.
For those seeking justice or wishing to merely broach concerns regarding potential violations, the Attorney General’s Office invites contact via their Phoenix and Tucson lines, available in the original press release. As the case unfolds, it will undoubtedly prove a litmus test for the rigor with which Arizona enforces its stated intolerance for discrimination in every shade and against every creed.
